Dispensing carton



Filed Oct. 20, 1965 INVENTOR P19744177 5P7?! p43 I x 4 0 75 Z 39 ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,338,502 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 3,338,502 DISPENSING CARTON Phillip Sabin, 1220 Ocean Ave.,

' Brooklyn, N.Y. 11230 Filed Oct. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 498,728 4 Claims. (Cl. 22917) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A carton for dispensing granular material, the carton being made from a single piece of cardboard folded to form a rectangular box having a dispensing corner opening and a pivotable closure for sealing the corner opening when not in use.

This invention relates to cartons or packages for retaining and dispensing material in flake, granular or powder form.

The primary object of this invention is to provide from a single stamping of a relatively stifi paper or cardboard, a blank which is readily formable into a box or carton having an integral closure provided at one top corner of the carton which when closed will present a smooth, finished appearance with relation to the carton and which When opened along a predetermined fold line, will permit the top corner of the carton to serve as a spout from which the contents thereof is dispensed; the closure being readily moved from its closing position to its open position.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved blank and carton wherein the integral closure is multisided with one side forming a part of the top of the carton, and the other sides of the closure being normal thereto, and in the closed position thereof lying parallel and in contacting engagement with three of the adjoining sides of the carton.

A further object of this invention resides in the pivoting connection of the integral closure lying along a fold line extending transversely across the top of the carton and with the one side of the closure forming part of the top of the carton being reinforced on its under side by a pair of opposed flaps adhesively secured thereto.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of the carton with the closure in closed position;

FIGURE 2 is a detail sectional view of the top of the carton with the integral closure taken on line 22, FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the carton with the closure in open position for pouring of the contents of the carton;

FIGURE 4 illustrates the one-piece die-cut blank from which the carton is formed.

Referring to the drawings, the novel carton, FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, comprises parallel side walls 10, 11; parallel end walls 12, 13; a bottom wall 14, and a top wall 15, with the bottom and top walls also parallel. The carton is formed of any suitable material of a stiff stock such as light weight fiberboard or cardbord. The top wall 15 adjacent the end wall 12 is provided with a discharge opening 18, see FIGURE 3, for the contents of the carton which pour from the opening 18 when the carton is held in the proper tilted position. The discharge opening 18 is opened or closed by a closure member 20 shaped to provide an upper wall 21, an end wall 22, and opposed side walls 23, 24. The upper wall 21 of the closure member 20 is an integral part of the carton top wall 15 and is movable up or down with relation thereto about a hinge line 25, see FIGURE 1. Thus, it will be seen that the walls 21, 22, 23 and 24 of the closure member 20 are so dimensioned that with the same in its closed position, the end wall 22 will overly and engage the carton end wall 12; the side walls 23, 24 will overly and engage the carton side walls 10 and 11, respectively; and the upper wall 21 will lie in the same plane as the remaining fixed part of the carton top wall 15 to close the discharge opening 18.

Viewing FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, it will be seen that the discharge opening 18 is at the upper right hand corner of the carton and that when the closure member 20 is opened, the upper edge 28 of the carton end wall 12 defines a pouring lip of a spout, which spout in turn is defined by the portions of the carton side walls 10, 11 and end wall 12 immediately adjacent the edges of the discharge opening 18, as shown in FIGURE 2. When the closure member 20 is closed, the same may be held sealed in such closed position by spot adhesively securing the closure walls 22, 23, 24 to the carton walls 12, 10 and 11, respectively, tobe separated by the insertion of a knife-blade therebetween; or by a paper or plastic strip over the edges of the closure member walls which latter may be slit and/or peeled therefrom to permit opening of the closure member. Also the entire carton may be encased by a wrapper which will hold the closure member 20 closed, and which wrapper has imprinted thereon suitable score lines defining the edges of the closure walls, which score lines when cut as directed, will permit opening of the closure member.

The carton as hereinabove described embodying the integral movable closure member 20 is formed from a die-cut blank 30 having the configuration shown in FIG- URE 4.

In blank 30, the carton side walls 10 and 11 are separated by the carton end wall 13 defined by the dash lines 31, 32, and the other carton end wall 12 is shown adjacent side wall 10 and is defined by the dash lines 33, 34. Extending beyond dash line 34 is a flap 35. At the lower end of the blank 30 and extending beyond the dash line 36 from left to right, viewing FIGURE 4, is a flap 37, a bottom wall portion 38, a flap 39, and another bottom wallportion, all separated from one another by slits 41, 42 and 43, the slits extending to dash line 36. At the upper or other end of the blank 30 the same integrally extends from the end wall portion 13 at dash line 43 to provide the top 15 divided by dash line 25 which as previously indicated serves as a hinge line. The portion beyond the dash or hinge line 25 forms the closure member 20 and includes the upper wall 21, the end wall 22, and the side walls 23, 24, defined by a continuation of the dash lines 31, 32, and the transverse dash line. It is to be noted that the top wall portion 15 inwardly of hinge line 25 is provided with opposed side flaps 46, 47 rendered separate by the slits 48, 49. Also the side walls 23, 24 of the closure member portion of the blank are each provided respectively with flaps 52, 53 which as shown are directed inwardly in opposed relation to the side flaps 46, 47.

In formingthe carton from blank 30, the side walls 10, 11, are folded along dash lines 31, 32; end wall 12 is folded along dash lines 33, 34 such that side wall 10 is opposite side wall 11 with flap 35 contacting and adhesively secured to the inside surface of side wall 11.

Thus, the side walls 10, 11 and end walls 12, 13 lie respectively in parallel opposed relation to form the walls of the carton. Next, the bottom portion 38 is folded along dash line 36, along with flaps 37, 39 and bottom portion 40, the flaps being disposed between the inner bottom portion 38 and the outer bottom portion 40 with the same adhesively joined together to provide the bottom wall of the carton. The top wall 15 of the carton is secured in place by folding the flaps 46, 47 along the dash lines 31, 32, and folding top 15 along dash line 43 to bring flaps 46, 47 into contact with the inside surface of side walls 10, 11 and adhesively secured thereto. The closure member 20 is formed by folding side walls 23, 24 along the dash lines 31, 32 and flaps 52, 53 along dash line 45, along with end wall 22. This will place the flaps on the inside surface of portion 21 which is the upper wall of the closure member, and are adhesively secured therto.

The carton may be filled by pouring its contents thereinto through the discharge opening 18, and the closure member 20 sealed in the manner as indicated hereinabove. If desired, the top 15 with its closure member 20 may first be secured in place to the carton side and end walls and the carton filled from the bottom with a subsequent forming of the bottom wall and securement in place in the manner as described.

It is to be noted that the flaps 52, 53 which are secured to the underside of the upper wall 21 of the closure member and which hold the side walls 23, 24 in place, also function to impart added rigidity to the upper wall 21 as well as to insure that when the closure member 20 is raised to open position, that the upper wall 21 will hinge with reference to the fixed part of top wall 15 along the hinge line 25, see FIGURE 2.

While certain novel features of my invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A carton formed from a one-piece die-cut blank comprising:

(a) parallel side and end walls,

(b) first means securing a free vertical edge of one end wall to a free vertical edge portion of an adjacent side wall,

() integral flaps at the lower transverse edges of said side and end walls having overlapping contacting engagement with each other and secured together,

(d) a top wall integral with one end wall along an upper transverse edge thereof,

(e) second means securing the side edges of said top wall to the upper edge portions of said side walls,

(f) a closure member forming an integral part of said top wall at the end thereof adjacent to said other end wall and movable up and down with respect to said top wall along a fixed transverse hinge line,

(g) said closure member when in raised position providing a discharge opening at the top of the carton having a width equal to the space between the carton side walls and a length equal to the distance between said transverse hinge line and the upper transverse edge of said other end wall,

(h) said first means comprises a flap extending the full vertical length of said free vertical edge of said one end wall and adhesively secured to the inside vertical edge portion of said adjacent side wall,

(i) said second means comprises a flap at each of the side edges of said top wall and adhesively secured to the inside of the upper edge portions of said side walls, and

(j) each of said top wall flaps extending from said one end wall to said transverse hinge line on said top wall.

2. The carton of claim 1, wherein said closure member comprises:

(a) an upper wall constituting an integral part of said top wall,

(b) depending side and end walls at the free edges of said upper wall and integral therewith, and

(c) a flap integral with each closure side wall disposed in opposed relation on the underside of the upper wall and secured thereto,

whereby to hold said closure side walls in fixed space relation and to reinforce said upper wall.

3. The carton of claim 2, wherein:

(a) in the closed position of said closure member,

' said side and end walls thereof will lie exteriorly of said carton side and end walls, respectively, and in contacting engagement therewith, and

(b) the side edges of said closure side wall flaps remote from the closure end wall and parallel thereto lying adjacent to the hinge line on said top wall,

whereby to facilitate and insure the bending of said upper wall with reference to said top wall along said hinge line when the closure member is raised to open position.

4. The carton of claim 3, wherein:

(a) the upper transverse edge of said other end wall defining one edge of said discharge opening lies in the plane of said top Wall and defines a pouring edge for said discharge opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,895,070 1/1933 Czerweny 22944 X 2,049,680 8/ 1936 Adams 22944 X 2,319,018 5/1943 Ullman 22917 X 2,330,466 9/ 1943 Berstein.

2,881,967 4/1959 Ringler 22917 2,886,233 5/ 1959 Kessler 22944 X 3,090,540 5/1963 Arneson 22944 3,094,244 6/ 1963 White 22917 X 3,100,074 8/1963 Beck 22944 FOREIGN PATENTS 490,538 8/ 1938 Great Britain.

JOSEPH R.. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

T, MOORHEAD, Examiner, 

1. A CARTON FORMED FROM A ONE-PIECE DIE-CUT BLANK COMPRISING: (A) PARALLEL SIDE AND END WALLS, (B) FIRST MEANS SECURING A FREE VERTICAL EDGE OF ONE END WALL TO A FREE VERTICAL EDGE PORTION OF AN ADJACENT SIDE WALL, (C) INTEGRAL FLAPS AT THE LOWER TRANSVERSE EDGES OF SAID SIDE AND END WALLS HAVING OVERLAPPING CONTACTING ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER AND SECURED TOGETHER, (D) A TOP WALL INTEGRAL WITH ONE END WALL ALONG AN UPPER TRANSVERSE EDGE THEREOF, (E) SECOND MEANS SECURING THE SIDE EDGES OF SAID TOP WALL TO THE UPPER EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID SIDE WALLS, (F) A CLOSURE MEMBER FORMING AN INTEGRAL PART OF SAID TOP WALL AT THE END THEREOF ADJACENT TO SAID OTHER END END WALL AND MOVABLE UP AND DOWN WITH RESPECT TO SAID TOP WALL ALONG A FIXED TRANSVERSE HINGE LINE, (G) SAID CLOSURE MEMBER WHEN IN RAISED POSITION PROVIDING A DISCHARGE OPENING AT THE TOP OF THE CARTON HAVING A WIDTH EQUAL TO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE CARTON SIDE WALLS AND A LENGTH EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID TRANSVERSE HINGE LINE AND THE UPPER TRANSVERSE EDGE OF SAID OTHER END WALL, (H) SAID FIRST MEANS COMPRISES A FLAP EXTENDING THE FULL VERTICAL LENGTH OF SAID FREE VERTICAL EDGE OF SAID ONE END WALL AND ADHESIVELY SECURED TO THE INSIDE VERTICAL EDGE PORTION OF SAID ADJACENT SIDE WALL, (I) SAID SECOND MEANS COMPRISES A FLAP AT EACH OF THE SIDE EDGES OF SAID TOP WALL AND ADHESIVELY SECURED TO THE INSIDE OF THE UPPER EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID SIDE WALLS, AND (J) EACH OF SAID TOP WALL FLAPS EXTENDING FROM SAID ONE END WALL TO SAID TRANSVERSE HINGE LINE ON SAID TOP WALL. 